We’ve Met Before

Two weeks ago on Friday night, I dropped in on a few art galleries on Santa Fe and then hopped over to the galleries on Navajo & 37th. At one gallery, a guy introduced himself and said he had met me a few years ago. He was a handsome guy with a military type haircut who was few inches shorter than me. After a few questions we came to the conclusion that we probably knew each other from the gym. He’s an architect who has worked with one of my former neighbors on a few projects. He said he hadn’t been to the gym for a few years due to an unemployed period during the economic downturn. We had a nice chat about the two pieces he had in a juried show. We walked next door to check out another new show and ended up in conversation with a guy with an MFA who designs custom handmade rugs. Later, the artist who produced the works hanging in the main gallery joined the conversation. It was an interesting and stimulating conversation about creating inspiring art that has an appeal to buyers versus creating art just to satisfy an artist’s creative needs. After about an hour, the architect and I walked back next door. As I was leaving he gave me his card.

While driving home I realized I remembered seeing the guy at the gym. I didn’t remember him having a beard and I had never seen him in street clothes.

I checked out his website when I got home. His art was interesting but I think it would look better in person. I sent him an email on Saturday morning letting him know I enjoyed our talk and to message me if he wanted to get together sometime for gallery hopping. At the very least, I thought it would be interesting to tour galleries with an artist. My friends never want to do gallery tours so I go by myself. It would be nice to have an art companion. The architect was age appropriate so he would also be suitable for dating if we ever ventured down that road. So far, he hasn’t replied which has left me confused. He approached me and gave me his card. I didn’t ask for it. Perhaps he only gave me his card in hopes I would buy his art. I guess I’ll never know.

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It Only Took A Day

K started applying for jobs online in the morning. He was contacted in the afternoon of the same day by one of the companies wanting a phone interview. He received a really good job offer during the first interview. He was also contacted by a headhunter who set up a several more interviews for him. He’s doing the other interviews to see what other companies will offer. He could end up in a bidding situation. Who knew there was a big demand for nuclear physicists/lawyers? I wish him well.

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Sentence Of The Day

I got this gem in a work email this morning:

I talked to the product manager and she wants to push the release into the May delivery but R&D still doesn’t think it will be ready so I’m not sure what to do but I do think that we could make the June load but I don’t know if she will go along with that or if she has a different plan but in any case she needs to talk to R&D and come up with a plan so we can finalize our plan if not we can’t proceed.

She’s got an MBA but never met a comma she likes. This sentence makes my head hurt. It also makes my writing look really good.

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A Sad Tale

The house across the street to the east has been on the market for four months. The owners can no longer afford the house. The husband was forced out of a business partnership in a hostile takeover. The family lost their health insurance when the husband departed the partnership. The wife is a real estate agent whose business is up and down. The wife told me they are bleeding money every month. Their new healthcare plan, along with the mortgage payment, suck the life out of their budget every month. They need to move into a less expensive house so they don’t burn through their savings trying to keep a house they can’t afford. Their M5 BMW and Audi A6 have been replaced by a used Jeep Cherokee and an aging Toyota Corolla.

I makes me sad to lose these neighbors. They have been great neighbors. I’ve been invited to their July 4th party every year. I applaud them for realizing they have to move rather than trying to keep up appearances. They are doing what is best rather than trying to hang onto a dream that could easily turn into a nightmare. It’s a sad tale.

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End Of An Era

K will be laid off from his company in early February. A threat of litigation motivated the company to come to the bargaining table. The company has a history of negotiating settlements in order to avoid costly litigation. He’ll get a severance package that should hold him over until he finds a new position. K is planning on spending a couple of weeks in Denver packing in preparation for moving to St. Louis, or, his own place in Denver. I think his landing spot will be dictated by where he finds a job. He will not be living with me on a permanent basis.

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Good News

S called this morning to thank me for the chocolate-orange brownies I made for her to enjoy this week. She also had good news. The biopsies done on Wednesday were both benign. S’s cancer has been deemed stage 1. S will have a lumpectomy to remove the first malignant tumor that was biopsied last week. S will also have a radiation treatment during the lumpectomy. This is a relatively new procedure that allows women to receive a full dose of radiation therapy during breast conserving surgery. S was relieved she didn’t have to have a double mastectomy. I was too.

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Anesthesia & Cocktails

Mo called inviting me over for cocktails shortly after I got home from working out with Carlos last night. S and her husband were already at Mo’s nursing martinis when I arrived. Mo and I enjoyed gin and tonics. S gave us the lowdown on her appointments earlier in the day. First up was an MRI guided needle biopsy on her right breast under local anesthesia. Next was an ultrasound guided needle biopsy on her left breast with more local anesthesia. The final procedure was a mammogram. S was feeling no pain while giving us the play by play recount of her day as she was still numb from the anesthesia.

Mo is a psychiatric nurse whose husband is a psychiatrist who teaches doctors how to administer and prescribe mental health medications. Mo is well versed in the interaction of drugs and alcohol so she cut off S after her first martini.

It was a nice intimate gathering with just the four of us. I had been thinking about S all day. I wanted to call S but I also wanted to respect her privacy in case the day didn’t go well. I was relieved to see S was in good spirits. However, things may change when she gets her biopsy results.

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There’s A New Princess In Town

Yesterday afternoon I went for a run after getting home from a meeting with my financial advisor. I headed west to the corner and then turned north running past Tom & Sheila’s house and the new French-country inspired farm house under construction next door. A young, tall, leggy blond was leaning against a black Porsche Panamera 4S parked in front of the new house. She was talking to a man with a rolled up set of blueprints in his hand. Her fashionable clothes clung to her thin figure. A large Louis Vuitton handbag hung from her bent arm while her hand flapped up and down emphasizing whatever she was discussing. An image of a T-rex arm flashed in my mind. Later, Sheila confirmed that the woman was the wife of the couple being gifted with the new house. There’s a new princess in town and she’s taller, thinner and richer than the princess living next to me. The princesses will be sharing a fence in the near future. I wonder if they will get along.

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Circling The Wagons

I talked with S yesterday before Mike picked me up to meet friends and watch the Bronco’s game. We met friends at the Eagle and moved to the Wrangler at half-time. I was feeling down but put on a good face for friends because they don’t know S has breast cancer. It was probably one of the reasons I did too many shots while watching the game. That, along with getting caught up in spirit of the game and the crowd. I’m feeling a tad hung over today.

S didn’t have good news. The MRI showed there was now something suspicious in her left breast. The first lump was found in her right breast. S has an ultrasound and another biopsy scheduled for this week along with an appointment with a surgeon. There’s a good chance that S will have to have double mastectomy.

S was in a good mood. She joked about having a hair appointment in the morning and an MRI in the afternoon. We both laughed when S said her hair is going to look good as long as she has it. She dressed to the nines and pulled some of her good jewelry out of the safe even though her husband had to hold onto to the jewelry while she had the MRI. It was snowing so she wore a full length fur to the MRI appointment. S felt that dressing up somehow made it easier to get through the test. It made her feel good about herself even though her body maybe undergoing drastic changes in the near future. Images of the well-dressed bejeweled women from Downton Abbey flashed through my mind while I listened to S describe her outfit.

I’m glad S could joke about having breast cancer even though she’s got a tough road ahead of her. S’s husband is a two-time cancer survivor and I managed to beat cancer into remission a few years ago. It makes me sad to think of what lies ahead for S. She means a lot to me so I hope she’ll successfully overcome this challenge. She been through a lot since I’ve known her but she always handles every situation with grace and perfect manners. I expect the same while she battles cancer.

S is hunkering down and circling the wagons in preparation for a good fight. I feel honored to be included in the inner circle of friends in the know. The only thing I need to do at this time is to figure out what to bake for a post-procedure treat on Tuesday.

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Saturday Adventures

Mike called on his way home from his office on Saturday morning to see if I wanted to run a few errands and grab lunch. He picked me up around noon in a 1970 Pontiac GTO coupe he bought on eBay a few months ago. Our first stop was the auto parts store for a new windshield washer pump. Then we head to Hermès so Mike could pick up a birthday gift for a friend who was being given a surprise birthday party on Saturday night. After Hermès, we walked down Fillmore to check out the sale at prAna. I bought a t-shirt while Mike bought a couple of shirts and a jacket. After prAna we walked across the street to Lululemon before having lunch at Pasta Pasta Pasta. After lunch we stopped for gas and a car wash before heading to stripper/drag queen supply store on South Broadway. The owners of the store are Mike’s clients so he wanted to do a quick meet and greet. Who knew mannequins were available with huge busts for displaying stripper wear? The last stop of the day was Cranmer Park so Mike could take pictures of the GTO with the mountains in the background. He’s not happy with the GTO after having it shipped to Denver so he’s putting it back on eBay. Mike has learned to never buy a car on eBay when he’s drunk.

Running errands with Mike was the high point of my day. After Mike dropped me off I hit the gym and went for a short run. I fixed dinner at home and did two loads of laundry before watching Ironman 3 on demand. Now I’m off to bed.

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